No. 072 · heirloom
Anna Russian
Anna Russian is an indeterminate heirloom beefsteak with pink fruit. It ripens in about 75 days.
Flavor
Described as sweet and complex with a juiciness uncommon for an early oxheart, rich enough for sandwiches. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Origin
An oxheart heirloom brought to the United States by Russian immigrants and introduced to gardeners by Craig LeHoullier in the 1989 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook.
What it does well
- Early, heavy yields of large pink heart-shaped fruit
- Dense, meaty flesh good fresh or for sauce
- Sweeter and juicier than many oxhearts
Where it frustrates
- Heart-shaped fruit can be irregular and prone to cracking
- Tall indeterminate vines need strong support
Growing it
- Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- A moderate grow, no special tricks but worth steady attention.
- Will set in cooler conditions, though warmth still helps it along.
- Prone to cracking and splitting after wet spells.
- One of our picks for the cold, short-season gardens of New England.
Disease resistance
An heirloom, sold without formal disease-resistance codes.
Why no hardiness zone?
Tomatoes are warm-season annuals, so variety choice comes down to days to maturity and your local frost dates.
Like Anna Russian, but...
Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.
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Where to buy seed
Related reading
Common questions
- Is Anna Russian determinate or indeterminate?
- Anna Russian is an indeterminate variety. Indeterminate vine. It keeps growing and setting fruit right up to frost, so plan on a tall stake or cage and regular pruning through the season.
- How long does Anna Russian take to ripen?
- Anna Russian ripens in about 75 days from transplant. Mid-season timing, ripening around 70 to 80 days from transplant.
- Is Anna Russian an heirloom or a hybrid?
- Anna Russian is an heirloom, an open-pollinated variety with a documented history, so seed saved from it comes back true to type.
- What can I grow instead of Anna Russian?
- A close swap is Brandywine, but a heart-shaped oxheart rather than a round beefsteak.
Sources
- Anna Russian, Tomato Seeds · Urban Farmer
- Anna Russian Tomato · Thresh Seed Co.
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